NATCHITOCHES -- Northwestern State graduate Ruth Fruge', who gained extensive experience in the NSU athletic department as a student worker before spending over a year running the ticket sales operations at Detroit Mercy, is the new director of ticket operations for Northwestern State athletics.

Fruge' returned home to NSU after serving 14 months as the ticket sales and fan experience manager at Detroit Mercy. She worked 18 months as a ticketing and marketing office student assistant in the NSU athletic department from May 2011-November 2012, until she was hired at Detroit Mercy.

In her position at UDM, she generated new season ticket orders and handled renewals, and was in charge of corporate, group and single-game ticket sales for basketball, lacrosse and soccer. Fruge' sold many large group packages that increased attendance and revenue.

She helped manage the halftime entertainment for basketball games, and organzed and ran the Titan Club Special Needs Basketball Camp, the National Girls and Women in Sports Day event, the annual student-athlete awards banquet, and a series of homecoming events. Fruge' was in charge of alumni games and receptions for all 19 sports at Detroit Mercy, and was in charge of donor relations while serving as the athletic department liason for the Titan Club board of directors.

Fruge' was also the UDM coed cheerleading coach.

In her time working in the NSU athletic department with the ticket and marketing staffs, Fruge' assisted in implementing new sales plans for season ticket sales for all sports. Her efforts contributed to significant increases in single-game and season tickets in football, basketball and baseball.

Fruge' helped market and manage the summer Victory Tours in 2011 and 2012. She worked with the successful Demon Rewards student attendance incentive program, and worked closely with NSU Student Services and Alumni Affairs on numerous athletic-related events.

She managed donor records and daily deposits while helping supervise 15-20 game-day personnel for home athletic events at NSU. Fruge' was involved in soliciting donors for the annual fund drive and interacted with season ticket holders for every sport.

A December 2012 NSU graduate, Fruge' served on the Student Self-Assessed Athletic Fee Oversight Committee.

Her appointment has been approved by the Board of Supervisors of the University of Louisiana System, which includes Northwestern.